Electrical connector crimping apparatus



Dec. 2, 1969 VAN DE KERKHOF 3,481,018

ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR CRIMPING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 16, 1967 Dec; 2, 1959 L. L. J. VAN m: KERKHOF 3,481,018

ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR CRIMPING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Ja n. 16, 1967 Da. 42, :1 959 L 4, A DE mawm ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR CRIMPING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 16,1967 5 Sheets-Sheet s United States Patent 3,481,018 ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR CRIMPING APPARATUS Lodevicus Lambertus Johannes van de Kerkhof, s Hertogenbosch, Netherlands, assignor to AMP Incorporated, Harrisburg, Pa. Filed Jan. 16, 1967, Ser. No. 609,505 Claims priority, application Netherlands, Jan. 27, 1966, 6601056 Int. Cl. H01r 43/00 US. Cl. 29-203 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention relates to a crimping machine to crimp electrical terminals on wires with the movable die member moving a section of the feeding mechanism away from the crimping area to permit a leg of the movable die member to move between a terminal sheared from a strip of terminals and the strip of terminals to perform a crimping operation without engagement with the terminal strip carried by the movable section of the feeding mechanism.

This invention relates to applicators and more particularly to applicator means for crimping electrical connectors onto electrical wires.

It is common practice to employ for crimping electrical connectors to wires, apparatus comprising a crimp ing anvil, a crimping die having a crimping recess defined by leg portions of the die, mechanism for feeding a strip of electrical connectors in side-by-side strip form between the die and the anvil to be crimped therebetween, mechanism for bringing about relative movement between the die and the anvil to cause a connector therebetween to be crimped to the wire between the anvil and the recess walls, and a shearing device for severing the connector between the die and the anvil from the strip. It is also common practice to arrange electrical connectors to be crimped in this way, in side-by-side strip form, each connector being joined to the next adjacent connector by a metal slug which is arranged to be sheared out by the shearing device. Since the sidewalls of the crimping recess are subject to lateral forces of considerable magnitude during the crimping operation, it is desirable that the leg portions of the crimping die which define these sidewalls should be thick enough to ensure that these leg portions do not fracture. Since the slug material is wasted as a result of the crimping operation and since the strip should be as short as possible to ensure that the maximum number of connectors can be stored on a single spool, it is also desirable that the metal slugs separating the connectors should be short.

Since, however, one of the leg portions must be passed between two connectors of the strip during the crimping operation, it is necessary according to known practice to make this one leg portion sufficiently thin to pass between the two connectors, in which case the leg portion may be undesirably weak, or to make the spacing between the connectors sufficient to avoid this disadvantage.

An object of the invention is to provide a crimping applicator for crimping electrical connectors onto wires having means to move a strip of connectors away from a crimping area to permit a leg of a crimping die to pass between a severed connector to be crimped in the crimping area and the strip of connectors.

Another object of the invention is the provision of holding means to hold a severed connector in a crimping area of a crimping applicator while a strip of connectors from which the severed connector is severed is moved away from the crimping area.

l A further object of the invention is to provide moving means on crimping die means of a crimping applicator to move a strip of connectors away from a crimping area during a crimping operation on a connector severed from the strip of connectors.

Other objects and attainments of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the drawings in which there is shown and described an illustrative embodiment of the invention; it is to be understood, however, that this embodiment is not intended to be exhaustive nor limiting of the invention but is given for purposes of illustration in order that others skilled in the art may fully understand the invention and the principles thereof and the manner of applying it in practical use so that they may modify it in various forms, each as may be best suited to the conditions of a particular use.

Apparatus according to the invention comprises a mechanism for holding the connector in position for crimping between the die and the anvil, a mechanism for withdrawing the strip of connectors from the die and anvil after the operation of the shearing device, each connector being held, during the relative movement, in position for crimping relative to the die and the anvil by the holding mechanism, the strip being withdrawn by the withdrawing mechanism after the connector has been severed from the strip to allow one of the leg portions of the die to pass between the severed connector and the strip so as to permit the anvil to be received in the recess of the die. The strip may conveniently be fed across a flat plate which is moved relative to the die and anvil by a cam surface movable with the crimping die. The cam surface may conveniently be inclined and may mate with a complementary inclined surface on the plate.

For a better understanding of the invention a preferred embodiment thereof will be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of apparatus for crimping electrical connectors to wires;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of part of the apparatus of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a view taken on the lines III-III of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is an elevational view partly in section of a detail of FIGURE 1 with part removed; and

FIGURE 5 is a plan view of part of a strip of electrical connectors.

The apparatus comprises a bed generally indicated by 1 upon which is mounted for horizontal sliding movement from right to left (as seen in FIGURE 1) and vice versa a connector strip guide plate 2- urged leftwardly (as seen in FIGURE 2) by springs 3 to an extent limited by an anvil assembly generally indicated by 4 and being fixed with the bed 1 on a base plate 5. On the guide plate 2 are parallel connector strip guides 6 and 6. Also on the plate 2 is a pressure pad 7 fixed to a pressure pad lifting handle 8, the pad 7 and the handle 8 being urged towards the plate 2 by respective springs 9 and 10. A connector strip feed device. 11 is mounted on a bracket 12 on the plate 2 and comprises a feed finger 13 having a working tip 13' and being mounted rotatably upon the piston rod of a pneumatic piston-and-cylinder motor 14. The finger 13 is urged by a spring (not shown) in an anti-clockwise (as seen in FIGURE 1) sense of rotation so that the tip 13' is urged towards the plate 2. A pressure pad lifting cam 15 is rotatably mounted on the plate 2, being rotatable by means of a handle 16 to engage the handle 8 so as to raise the pad 7 against the action of the springs 9 and 10.

The anvil assembly 4 comprises a wire separating blade 18, on either side of which are upstanding anvils 19 to 22 each being surmounted by an arcuate section working surface as best seen in FIGURE 2. The anvils 19 and 20 are separated from the anvils 21 and 22 by a spacer plate 23. Immediately adjacent the anvils 21 and 22 is a shear block 24 having shearing recesses 25 and 26 laterally offset from the anvils.

Above the anvil assembly 4 is a press ram assembly generally indicated by 27 and being arranged to be driven in reciprocating movement towards and away from the assembly 4 by a driving motor and linkage (not shown). The assembly 27 comprises a crimping die 28 having crimping recesses 29 defined by legs 31 to 3.2. Behind (as seen in FIGURE 1) the die 28 are shear blades 33 and 34 dimensioned for snug reception in the respective recesses 25 and 26. Behind (as seen in FIG- URE 1) the blades 33 and 34 is a connector-hold-down plate 35 urged towards the assembly 4 by a spring 36 (FIGURE 4) through a push rod 37 to an extend limited by the blade 33. The assembly 27 also comprises a cam 38 fixed to a carrier plate 39 which extends into a recess 39 defined by the bed 1 and assembly 4. The cam 38 has an inclined cam surface 40 for co-operation with a complementary surface 41 on the plate 2.

FIGURE shows part of a strip of electrical connectors for use with the apparatus described above. The strip comprises connectors 42 each comprising an electrical connecting portion 43, in this case a spade terminal, a first essentially U-section electrical ferrule 43 for crimping about the bared end of an electrically conductive core of an insulated wire (not shown), and a second essentially U-section crimping ferrule 44 for crimping about the insulation of the wire. Each connector 42 is joined to the next adjacent connector or connectors by a metal slug 45. As shown in FIGURE 5 the strip is in ladder, or side-by-side form, the longitudinal axes of the crimping ferrules 43 and 44 being parallel to one another.

The strip which will in practice comprise many hundred connectors, is wound upon a freely rotatable spool (not shown). The free end of the strip is led along the plate 2 between the guides 6 and 6 and under the pad 7 (with the aid of the handle so that the leading connector of the strip lies with its ferrules 43 and 44 upon the respective anvils 21 and 19, the penultimate connector of the strip lying with its ferrules 43 and 44 on the respective anvils 22 and 20. The strip is held firmly in position between the guides 6 and 6' by the pressure pad 7 under the action of the springs 9 and 10, the Working tip 13' of the feed finger 13 engaging a longitudinal edge of one of the connectors 42.

The operator places the pro-separated ends of insulated twin-wire (not shown), these ends having been stripped of insulation to bare their electrically conductive cores, above the ferrules 43 of the two connectors on the anvils, the ends being guided by the blade 18, the insulation in the vicinity of each end extending into one of the ferrules 44.

Insulated twin-wire comprises two parallel plastic insulated wires, the insulation of the two wires being formed integrally so that the wires are joined along their adjacent sides.

The operator now actuates a pedal (not shown) to cause the ram assembly 27 to be driven through a working stroke, i.e. downwardly (as seen in FIGURE 1). As the ram assembly begins to descend, the plate 35 engages the leading and penultimate connectors of the strip and the blades 33 and 34 shear out the slug 45 from between the leading and penultimate connectors and from between the penultimate connector and the next preceding connector, in co-operation with the longitudinal edges of the respective recesses and 26. As the ram assembly 27 continues to descend, the blades 33 and 34 penetraie progressively intothc recesses 25 and 26, and the spring 36 is progressively compressed. The plate 35 serves to hold the leading and penultimate connectors 42 in position to maintain their ferrules 43 and 44 on the respective anvils after these connectors have been freed from the strip by the blades 33 and 34. As the ram assembly 27 further descends, the cam surface 40 of the cam 38 engages the surface 41 of the plate 2 so that the plate 2 is moved rightwardly (as seen in FIGURES 1 and 2) against the action of the springs 3 until the surfaces 40 and 41 are in full engagement with one another. The strip of connectors on the plate 2 is accordingly moved away from the connectors on the anvils so that towards the end of the working stroke of the ram, the leg 32 of the crimping die 28 can pass between the severed penultimate connector and the aforementioned next preceding connector which remains on the plate 2. The ferrules are crimped to the wire ends by co-operation between the die 28 and the anvils which are received in the recesses 29 so that the ferrules are compressed between the recess walls and the working surfaces of the anvils. The crimping operation begins as the plate 2 starts to move away from the assembly 4 and ends when the plate 2 has been fully displaced. The ram assembly 27 then auiomatically carries out a return stroke to resume the position in which it is shown in FIGURE 1. The piston rod of the motor 14 is advanced during the return stroke of the assembly 27, when the plate 2 has resumed its initial posi.ion under the action of the springs 3, so that the feed finger moves the strip of connectors on the plate 2 leftwardly (as seen in FIGURES 1 and 2) to advance two further connectors into position, for crimping on the anvils. The feed finger 13 is driven through a return stroke by the motor 14 as the ram assembly begins to descend at the beginning of its next working stroke. As the finger 13 returns the working tip 13 is cammed over the connectors of the strip against the action of the spring of the finger 13.

Since the plate 2 is moved as mentioned above to permit the arm 32 to pass between the penultimate and the next preceding connector, this arm 32 may be sufficiently broad to ensure that the arm 32 does not fracture as a result of the crimping forces which are directed laterally of the arm 32. The arm 31 may be less broad than either the arm 30 or the arm 32, since the arm 31 is subjected to equal and oppositely directed lateral crimping forces.

Although the invention has been described above in its application to apparatus for crimping the connectors simultaneously, the invention can also be applied with advantage where only one connector is to be crimped. The present invention is, however, of particular advantage where the apparatus is arranged to crimp two connectors simultaneously, because the distance between the anvils and thus the widths of the anvil assembly is determined by the distance between the individual connectors of the strip.

The embodiment described above may be modified in various ways, for example:

The crimping die instead of the cam 38 may be employed directly to engage and move the plate 2.

The feed mechanism could be mounted to the bed 1 and the motor of the feed mechanism employed to move the plate 2.

Instead of making the surface across which the connector strip is fed movable, the strip could be retracted prior to the crimping operation by a further feed finger operated, e.g. by the feed mechanism motor.

It will, therefore, be appreciated that the aforementioned and other desirable objects have been achieved; however, it should be emphasized that the particular embodiments of the invention, which are shown and described herein, are intended as merely illustrative and not as restrictive of the invention.

The invention is claimed in accordance with the f lt lowing:

1. Apparatus for crimping electrical connectors in sideby-side strip form to wires, the apparatus comprising a crimping anvil, a crimping die having a crimping recess defined by leg portions of the die, means for feeding a strip of electrical connectors in successive stages between the die and the anvil to be crimped therebetween, means for bringing about relative movement between the die and the anvil to cause a connector therebetween to be crimped to a wire between the anvil and the recess walls, shearing means for severing a leading connector disposed between the die and the anvil from the strip of connectors, means for holding the connector in position between the die and the anvil for crimping therebetween, said holding means holding each severed connector in position for crimping by the die and the anvil, and withdrawing means for withdrawing the strip of connectors after the leading connector has been severed from the strip to allow one of the leg portions to pass between the severed connector and the strip so as to permit the anvil to be received in the recess of the die and thereby crimp the leading connector onto the wire.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein a plate is mounted adjacent said die and anvil for movement relative to the die and anvil and on which said strip of connectors is fed between the die and anvil, said means for bringing about relative movement between said die and anvil comprising a press ram assembly, said press ram assembly including a part which engages the plate to cause the strip of connectors on the plate to be withdrawn from the die and anvil prior to the reception of the anvil in the recess.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the part of the press ram assembly which engages the plate has a flat inclined surface mating with a complementary surface on the plate, and spring means engaging said plate so that the plate can be moved against the action of said spring means perpendicularly to the path of movement of the ram assembly.

4. Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the feeding means comprises a feeding mechanism mounted on the plate for movement therewith.

5. Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the leading holding means comprises a connector hold-down member mounted on the ram assembly for movement relative thereto against the action of a spring, the connector to be sheared from said strip being resiliently engaged between the hold-down member and a counter-surface prior to or simultaneously with the shearing operation.

6. In a press having one member movable with respect to another member to operate on a workpiece placed therebetween, operating means connected to said one member to move said one member relative to said other member, movable guide means disposed adjacent said members for guiding a strip of workpieces therealong between said members, feeding means mounted adjacent said guide means for feeding said strip of workpieces along said guide means to place a leading workpiece between said members, shearing means mounted adjacent said members to shear a leading workpiece from said strip of workpieces, holding means disposed adjacent said members for holding a sheared workpiece between said members, and means for withdrawing said strip of workpieces after the workpiece has been sheared from said strip of workpieces and is being held between said members to allow a leg of said movable member to pass between the sheared workpiece and said strip of workpieces to permit said members to operate on said sheared workpiece placed therebetween.

7. In a press according to claim 6 wherein said withdrawing means includes cooperating means on said 0pe'rating means and said guide means to move said guide means and said strip of workpieces thereon relative to said members upon operation of said operating means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS THOMAS H. EAGER, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 72331 

